Johnny Shell of Keypoint Intelligence provides an overview of where the DTG sector is at and where it is heading
Overall, we see DTG entering a more mature phase in the UK and across EMEA.
The installed base is expected to contract over the next several years, particularly among commercial and entry-level systems. This reflects a combination of older equipment being retired, market consolidation, and growing competition from DTF, which has become an attractive alternative for many applications traditionally produced with DTG.
Equipment segment
The outlook varies by equipment segment. Placements of entry-level and commercial DTG systems are forecast to decline modestly through 2029, while industrial DTG is
expected to grow. We forecast industrial mid-level placements to grow by around 3% annually and high-level industrial systems by nearly 5% annually through 2029.
This points to a shift in where DTG is finding its strongest value. At the lower end, decorators have more choices, particularly with DTF. At the industrial end, DTG continues to make sense for businesses producing significant volumes of on-demand and personalised apparel, where automation, productivity, and integration into an efficient production workflow become increasingly important.
The industrial high-level segment already accounts for the majority of DTG print volume in EMEA, and we expect production to become even more concentrated around these higher- productivity systems. For the UK, I would characterise the market as mature rather than a high-growth opportunity. The broader trend is toward fewer installed systems overall, but continued investment in newer and more productive equipment.
Complementary processes
Another important trend is that equipment placements are holding up better than the underlying installed base and print volumes. This suggests the market is becoming more concentrated, with older and lower-productivity systems leaving the field while newer equipment replaces them. For vendors and decorators, the focus is therefore shifting from expanding the number of DTG devices in use to improving productivity, utilisation, workflow efficiency, and return on investment from a smaller installed base.
DTG and DTF are also becoming increasingly complementary rather than mutually exclusive technologies. UK decorators are building hybrid production environments and choosing DTG or DTF based on garment type, run length, image requirements, turnaround time, and economics.
Print-on-demand remains an important strength for DTG, particularly for e-commerce, personalisation, short production runs, and rapid fulfilment. Workflow automation is also becoming more important as profitability increasingly depends on moving large numbers of small orders from online ordering through production and fulfilment with minimal manual intervention.
Application specific
The competitive position of DTG is also becoming more application-specific. DTF offers greater substrate flexibility, particularly across polyester, blends, workwear, and other products where DTG can be more challenging. DTG remains well suited to cotton-rich garments where image quality, soft hand, and direct printing are important. At the higher end of the market, companies such as Snuggle continue to invest in high-productivity DTG equipment alongside DTF, demonstrating how the two technologies can serve different production requirements within the same operation.
The UK DTG market is therefore becoming less about competing directly with DTF and more about using each technology where it makes the most economic and application sense. Stronger operators are increasingly combining technologies, automating workflows, and matching the decoration process to the order rather than relying on a single production method.
A specialised role
Overall, DTG is transitioning from broad market expansion toward a more mature and specialised role within digital garment decoration. While DTF is creating greater competition at the entry and commercial levels, investment in higher- productivity industrial DTG systems is expected to grow.
The opportunity for DTG will increasingly centre on applications where print quality, automation, productivity, and efficient on-demand production provide clear advantages.
Johnny Shell is senior principal analyst for Textile, Apparel, and Wide Format Printing at Keypoint Intelligence. His guidance is backed by over 38 years of industry experience. Johnny partners with clients to tackle challenges, streamline processes, and foster sustainable growth in the textile, apparel decorating, and wide format industries.
